CrisisX is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious open world survival games announced in recent years.
Developed by Chinese studio Hero Games, the same company that early on invested in Black Myth: Wukong, this new project drops players into a post-apocalyptic world that’s as dangerous as it is vast.
The game’s biggest headline feature is its enormous 1,200 km² open map, said to host up to 5,000 players per server. It’s divided into twelve distinct regions-from dusty Western-style ghost towns and secret labs to icy mountain peaks-each with its own resources, animals, and hidden threats. While some gamers scoff at the real scale, noting that it works out to around 34×34 kilometers, it’s still one of the largest persistent multiplayer maps currently planned for the genre.
Players will need every trick to stay alive. CrisisX isn’t just about fighting off the Infected-zombie-like NPCs ranging from swarming hordes to hulking Titan mutants-but also about handling thirst, hunger, health, and the harsh climate. A versatile combat system will let survivors wield machetes, crossbows, pistols, sniper rifles, machine guns, RPGs, grenades, and even pilot reconstructed armored vehicles like WWII-era Shermans and modern Bradleys. Some players feel the zombie threat should be more central to the survival aspect, rather than just a background nuisance like in many Rust-style titles, but Hero Games seems intent on balancing PvE with brutal PvP rivalries.
Because as much as you’ll need to build fences, farms, and fortified homes to keep out the Infected, the greater danger might be other survivors raiding your base. The game pushes communal survival, encouraging players to join clans or communes to seize strategic resources-like oil wells-before rival groups do. This unity brings power but also sparks bitter turf wars, the kind survival gamers know all too well.
CrisisX is currently in development for PC (Steam) and mobile (iOS/Android), with a projected launch window in Q2 2026. A playable demo will be shown at Gamescom 2025 in Cologne, Hall 9.1, Booth B059, giving fans their first chance to see whether this survival experiment really has what it takes-or if it’s just another zombie-filled sandbox.